There’s a Ghost in My PC by Payal Dhar

Category: YA/ FictionPublisher: Scholastic Books India

It’s a catastrophe — Madhu is about to turn thirteen and her mother wants to buy her a new computer! Oh yes, you read right, a brand new shiny computer. But for Madhu, a new PC = full-scale disaster. For unknown to anyone else, Madhu’s battered second-hand laptop is very, very special indeed. It can get online without an Internet connection; no virus will ever dare to enter it; and the software keeps itself updated. Oh, and it has an erratic sense of humour and is in the habit of having long and frequent conversations with Madhu.

For between the motherboard and the megabytes resides Viru — the ghost of her dead neighbour — and Madhu’s best friend. What will happen to Viru if she gets a new computer? What with coming up with a plan to save Viru, reconciling Cousin Kavitha with her mother, and finding out what Amma’s new friend from work is really up to — is it any wonder that Madhu can hardly sleep at night?